A jury awarded $1.4 million to a man earlier this month after a lawn mower launched a golf ball into a Long Beach golf course’s cafe, smashing glass that then struck and permanently damaged his eye.
Thomas Graham, who works for the Orange County Sheriff’s Department, was at Heartwell Golf Course’s cafe in June 2024, when a lawn mower launched the golf ball at an estimated 200 miles per hour, shattering a glass door and sending a shard into Graham’s left eye, his attorneys with Panish | Shea | Ravipudi LLP said. Glass also hit Graham’s left arm and legs, according to court documents.
The American Golf Corporation, which operates the course, admitted negligence in the case but disagreed on the nature and extent of Graham’s injuries and damages, according to court documents. An attorney for the American Golf Corporation didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.
Graham’s attorneys argued the golf course used outdated mowing equipment without safety features like deflectors that would have kept the ball from being shot at the cafe, the law firm said.
In court documents, Graham’s lawyers also argued the golf course was negligent in mowing at an unsafe time, not checking that the area was free of golf balls before mowing, not warning people at the course that balls could be launched at such a high speed and not clearing people from the area where the balls could pose a danger while an employee mowed the lawn.
Since that day, Graham sustained permanent damage to his cornea and the nerves in his eye, causing pain, functional impairment, discomfort, redness and severe headaches that sometimes progress to migraines, his attorneys said.
Because of the injury, Graham had to make significant lifestyle changes and enjoys activities less due to chronic pain and other symptoms he experiences, his lawyers said.